


In His Heart, She Burns

by Musicsoul26



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Solavellan - Fandom
Genre: Alternative POVs, F/M, Fanfiction, Fate, Fen'Harel - Freeform, Fluff, Inquisitor Lavellan - Freeform, Love, Multi, POV Third Person Omniscient, Romance, Solas POVs, Solavellan, Soulmates, The Fade, Third Person Narrative, Wolves, female inquisitor - Freeform, i have obsessions, idk what kind of fruit they have in thedas so i might make some up, im prone to deviating from what im meant to do, may not completely follow canonical storyline, maybe he barks at the moon, maybe he throws tree bark at the moon, maybe smut, pranks and revenge?, smut MAYBE, solas/lavellan - Freeform, the dread wolf - Freeform, this is cathartic, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-06-27 13:30:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15686385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musicsoul26/pseuds/Musicsoul26
Summary: The events of Dragon Age Inquisition retold in my own way, with a female inquisitor Lavellan and Solas romance. There will be angst, fluff and maybe smut. Sorry for the awful summary!Tinae Lavellan was chosen as a hunter of her clan to spy on the events at the conclave, little did she know that the events that would take place there would lead her into a spiral of disaster that result in her heading the Inquisition of Thedas. During her time with the Inquisition an elven apostate, Solas intrigues her with his vast knowledge on a variety of subjects, but Tinae knows a liar when she sees one - and she will fight for the truth.These two share a love that has the capability to shake Thedas and the Veil to its very core, but what will come?Because if she doesn't, it will not just be her that burns.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story on here so I hope that everyone can enjoy it? I will aim to update whenever I can!

Fen'Harel, 'The Dread Wolf' and walker of the Fade has seen echoes of things that once were and vague promises of what could yet be. He watches replays of those he had once freed fight to defend their lives after he had fallen to slumber, he watched them fall to the oppression of the shemlen and over generations they forgot. The Dalish mark themselves as slaves unknowingly and wear the poison vallaslin on their skin with misplaced pride, marking his name as that of a traitor.

 

He knew not where he slumbered, for Fen'Harel had slept for so long, that where he had once been, was no longer.

 

_Time to wake up._


	2. Chapter One - The First Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tinae Lavellan's journey from her clan to the conclave - a little bit of character building and some other stuff.  
> This chapter is a little slow paced and shows me trying to get into the swing of writing again - hope you enjoy and will be bringing in more characters in the next chapter!

“Da’len, we must know of what the shemlen discuss at the conclave. What is being discussed there will affect us all.”

Tinae of clan Lavellan nodded in acquiescence to her Keeper’s implied command; “As you will it, Keeper. Dareth shiral.” swiftly and without being seen, enter the conclave and report back. Tendrils of inky hair, loose from her braided ponytail flailing behind her as she strode away at a rapid pace from the colourful aravels. Without breaking stride, Tinae leant down in one smooth movement to pick up a bow - a quiver of arrows already strapped to her back, a standard for most hunters of the clan. Keeper Deshanna Istimaethoriel had notified a group of clan Lavellan’s hunters a few days prior that there would be an important gathering at the Temple of Sacred Ashes between Divine Justinia, and the feuding factions of the Mage Rebellion and Templar Order. The Keeper had advised all of the hunters to keep their equipment ready, and a bag packed at all times in case one of them was dispatched to the conclave. In the end, Tinae had been chosen. Her emotions twisted anxiously under the surface: this was not the first time that she had been out on her own of course, but never before had such an expectation been placed upon her alone.

 

Tinae only gave her clan one last brief glance before she continued her journey southward – unaware that this would indeed be the last time she ever saw her family and clan. She would regret it in the times to come.

 

**********~*~**********

 

It had taken nearly three days to reach Wycome, and nearly ten more to reach Kirkwall. When Tinae finally procured a space for herself on a merchant ship sailing to Highever her exhaustion was nearly bone deep. She hadn’t slept the first two days of her journey: lonely and intent on reaching Wycome as soon as possible, Tinae had grossly miscalculated the distance she would have to travel. Everything took longer now she was alone and without the company of her clan mates. She was used to walking and physical exhaustion, but the isolation from her people is what took the greater toll on her. The sounds of the crewmates chattering amongst themselves on the ship combined with the lulling sensation of the sea against the boat comforted her, and she was soon asleep.

It was the rain that woke her – a series of cold splashes against her face brought her from her dreamless sleep. Smiling groggily at a passing sailor, Tinae rubbed her eyes and scrambled to her feet – you do not travel on a merchant ship and not expect to help the crew, it was part and parcel of the low fares really. Luckily Tinae had no aversion to hard work.

Running from helm to stern and laughing heartily with the friendly sailors as she flitted about, the small Dalish woman’s charms soon had her a popular figure aboard the boat. Her smiles were always given freely and had a way of making everyone feel like her friend even though she didn’t know it, her vivacious personality enamoured all who met her and endeared her to the Captain of the ship who showed, rather than spoke his kindness at the end of their short journey.

“Be safe little one,” he clapped her on the shoulder – the surprising strength of it causing her to grunt “you’ll be needin’ this back.” The Captain had spoken gruffly, a small smile showing through his untamed mess of a beard as he firmly pressed Tinae’s fare for the boat back into her tanned hands. “You did more tha’ your fair share o’ work on my ship.”

She accepted his kindness with a solemn nod and left.

 

She used the money to pay for a fast carriage along the imperial highway. The men aboard the ship had warned her of the perils of travelling alone during this time: rogue mages and templars were on the loose in the area and she could not afford to be injured or die when she was so close. The journey was long, but thankfully the carriage made what would have been a two week journey on foot only 5 days long.

 

There were four days left until the conclave – and as Tinae looked through the mountain pass before her, taking in the natural beauty of Ferelden, something within her flickered once more with unease.

She ignored the warning bells ringing inside of her head, hoisted her bow further up her back, and continued onwards.

 

**********~*~**********

 

“What’s going on here?” Tinae forced the words out in a voice as calm as she could make it – taking in the behemoth of a man that stood in the hall of the Temple of Sacred Ashes, shards of red crystals jutting out of his skin in a grotesque imitation of armour: contorting his face and tugging it into a permanent snarl. He held Divine Justinia before him with magic, magic that felt both familiar and grossly unknown to Tinae all at once.

A flash of indignant movement.

Tinae rushed to grab the orb that the Divine had thrust her way and felt no more.

 

The world fell away like an acid washed fresco and all collapsed into darkness, confusion, screaming, a continuing sense of dread- light! A green so bright it could remind Tinae of nothing but light and the voice of a woman shouting.

 

_“Warn them!”_


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Newest chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

Tinae came to consciousness distinctly aware of a burning pain throbbing in the palm of her left hand. Reflexively she went to touch the source of her pain, only to be caught short by the sensation of heavy metal holding her in place: hands shackled together, chained to the floor. Verdant green light flared from her wounded hand. Gasping in shock, she had barely had time to take in more of her surroundings before two intimidating women entered her cell, dimly illuminated by the one lit sconce on the far side of the room.

The darker haired of the two women sported several scars on her regal face: dark eyes glinting malevolently in the dark, the threat there echoed by the blade holstered to her hip. She stalked purposefully to stand behind Tinae, as the other women, whose face was mostly masked by shadow beneath a cowl advanced on her cautiously.

“Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you _now_.” Tinae blandly registered that the woman behind her had a Nevarran accent. _“_ The conclave is destroyed,” she stepped around her “everyone who attended is _dead...._ ” her voice wavered slightly on that last word. “Except for you.” The woman was now in front of Tinae and pointed a finger accusatorily at her, standing beside the shadowed woman whose red hair framed what was visible of her face. Tinae registered what had just been said and her heart skipped a beat as her head snapped upwards; “What do you mean everyone is dead!?” Tinae’s question went unanswered as, with a rush of impatience, the dark-haired woman snatched Tinae’s left hand, drawing it up towards her face. _“Explain this._ ” It was spoken as a threat, and as though to punctuate this, the painful mark on her hand sparked to life, even emitting a slight hissing noise. Horrified, and confused, Tinae went over all of the recent events in her mind as quickly as she could. However, try as she might, she could not remember the events of the conclave. The last thing she remembered was being within the mountain paths: shivering in the cold and whittling arrow heads to pass the time while her game cooked over her makeshift fire. Then a rush of blurred memories, running, fear, screaming, light. Stuttering in confusion and trepidation, Tinae forced out the words of denial, shaking her head firmly. “I-I-I…. _can’t._ ”

Both women began circling her, the shrouded woman kept her stance tight and poised, ready to strike if necessary. The scarred woman’s motions portrayed a stronger sense of agitation as she ground out, _“_ What do you mean you can’t?!”

“I don’t know what _that_ is! Or how it got there.”

Tinae was grabbed forcefully by the shoulders as the dark-haired woman snarled _“You’re lying.”_ However, she was pushed several steps away from Tinae by the woman’s companion, when she spoke, her voice was calm and calculated. _“_ We need her, Cassandra.” And finally, Tinae could put a name to the harsh beauty.

Raising her chin slightly, Tinae sought the shadowed eyes of Cassandra’s companion, hoping for more understanding and clarification. _“_ I don’t understand.” The woman responded only by tilting her head to the left slightly, hands relaxed at her sides as behind her, Cassandra stepped agitatedly forwards once more. “Do you remember what happened? How this began?”

“I remember running. Things were chasing me. And then… a woman?” Tinae recalled her unclear memories and suppressed a shudder.

“A woman?” She crossed her arms and straightened – a movement not necessarily intended to intimidate, but it did. And Tinae finally understood just how much trouble she was really in. Nodding affirmatively “She reached out to me, but then…” Tinae trailed off as Cassandra came around to the front of her companion again, her back to their prisoner, allowing her to see the shield strapped to her back with the emblem for the Seekers of Truth.

“Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the rift.”

 _Leliana and Cassandra._ Her two jailors. Tinae’s eyes lingered on Leliana’s retreating figure until Cassandra crouched down and blocked her view, a blank expression on her face as she reached for the manacles. “What did happen?” She did not realise that she had voiced her thoughts aloud until Cassandra had pulled her to her feet, steadying her as she began to topple forwards with the force of it. Cassandra had meant to demonstrate in a subtle way that she was well able to manage any threat that Tinae might pose.

_Message sent and received._

“It will be easier to show you.”

Cassandra replaced the heavy iron manacles with a rough rope as they left the dimly lit cell, and towards the harsh white light outside. Looking over her shoulder, Tinae registered that they were inside of a Chantry, some lingering sisters and brothers meeting her eyes with accusatory stares and staying as far away from her and Cassandra as they could whilst still being able to watch the proceedings. Once outside, Cassandra gestured towards the tear in the sky. “We call it the Breach. It’s a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It’s not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave.” Turning, Cassandra waited to gauge the reaction of the Dalish elf, one dark eyebrow raised in expectation.

“An explosion can do that?” Tinae was incredulous. She did not have much experience with explosives, in fact she had none at all, but she had read up on their use by the Qunari peoples and the Dwarven race for lyrium mining. This scale of explosion did not match anything that Tinae knew.

“This one did.” She gestured once more to the blazing green light above the mountains. “Unless we act, the breach may grow until it swallows the world.” As if to punctuate this statement, the Breach in the sky spasmed like an injured muscle, a thunderous crack breaking across the valley and causing the matching green tear in Tinae’s hand to flare in both light and pain. Falling to the snow-covered ground with a hiss, she saw Cassandra through a slightly blurry veil of tears as she crouched before her.

“Each time the Breach expands,” She began “your mark spreads… and it is killing you.” Cassandra did not pause at Tinae’s horrified inward gasp. “It may be the key to stopping this but there isn’t much time.”

Tinae looked from the mark on her hand to the Seeker incredulously, “You still think I did this? To myself?”

“Not intentionally. Something clearly went wrong.”

“And if I’m not responsible?” Tinae knew that part of the reason that she was being held under such suspicion was the fact that she was Dalish: despite her clan being fairly close to the humans in their travels not much was known about the ways of her kind. She dreaded to think what impact her perceived guilt would have on her Elven brethren.

Cassandra eyed her warily “Someone is, and you are our only suspect.” She pushed herself up to her feet, looking down at Tinae with impatience glittering in her eyes. “You wish to prove your innocence? This is the only way.” Tinae knew that this human woman was her path to safety and freedom, even if right now she was their prisoner, she could understand their suspicions if she truly was the only survivor… _Elgar’nan_ ... She cast her thoughts back to the smiling faces of her clanmates and the expectations that they had riding upon her shoulders. “I understand.” She heaved painedly, eyes searching Cassandra’s for a flicker of compassion.

Surprised, Cassandra’s eyebrows flew to her hairline. “Then…?”

Nodding once more, Tinae spoke firmly, no hesitation in her voice, her eyes narrowed. “I’ll do what I can.” Casting her eyes once again to the breach in the sky, she took in the view of what could possibly be her demise. “Whatever it takes.” Cassandra gave a small smile of approval to Tinae as she tugged her up from the ground once more. The villagers of Haven scowl at them as they move together, eyeing Cassandra’s supporting hand disdainfully. Cassandra spoke quietly to Tinae “They have decided your guilt. They need it.” Her voice was understanding but hard “The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers.” Tinae knew this, it had been her mission to glean as much information as possible from the Conclave. “It was a chance for peace between Mages and Templars. She brought their leaders together. Now, they are dead.” Cassandra’s voice lashed like a whip, and Tinae felt the burn of the accusation as it sank into her. But she did not dip her head or flinch, she knew her innocence the same way she knew that the sun would set at the end of each day, and she would not let these people break her. Lost in her thoughts as she was, Tinae barely registered Cassandra’s voice as they continued through the village and out of the gates. Firm snow crunching underfoot, wind biting at her skin, and her travel leathers rustling as she trudged alongside the Seeker. _Cold weather makes cold hearts._ She thought to herself.

“We lash out, like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves, as she did. Until the breach is sealed.” Cassandra nodded brusquely to the soldiers who manned the gates ahead of them. Wordlessly, they hauled open the heavy wooden doors, eyes tracking her suspiciously as Cassandra gestured for Tinae to walk through first. Once through the gateway, Cassandra took an authoritative step forward as the guardsmen closed the heavy doors. Tinae was distracted by the noise of the gate slamming shut behind her and so did not see as Cassandra withdrew a dagger from her waist, the metal gleaming dully, a contrast to its sharp blade.

 

Cassandra did not acknowledge Tinae’s fear as she took in the dagger – she had misunderstood the purpose of it – and in one swift movement had grabbed the prisoner’s wrists and sliced through the ropes binding her. The elf sighed in relief and irritation – Cassandra could have simply said she was to do that instead of frightening her. “There will be a trial. I can promise no more.” Tinae opened her mouth to speak but was once more cut off by Cassandra. “Come. It is not far.”

Tinae rubbed her wrists, she was sore where the rope had chafed but she wouldn’t say anything in case Cassandra decided to put them back on just to spite her. “Where are you taking me?”

 “Your mark must be tested on something smaller than the Breach.” Cassandra thought of the smaller rift where other members of the party waited, aware that the longer the prisoner took to move, the more danger they were in. _Although,_ she thought to herself _, Varric may just talk the demons into submission_. The Dwarven rogue was a natural born silver-tongue, and his endless talking irritated her to no end.

The two women were standing on a cobbled bridge: all around were wounded or dying soldiers, with a spattering of Chantry brothers and sisters praying or reciting the Chant of Light to all those who sought the comfort of their faith. One soldier in particular was rocking himself, muttering under his breath as his wide eyes remained locked on group of praying Chantry members. Tinae eyed him pityingly as Cassandra strode onwards, shouting ahead to the soldiers at the other gate to open so they could continue through. As they turned left Cassandra urged Tinae to keep pace with her as she began to jog steadily up the hill, swerving to avoid three men who ran by, headed downhill and back towards Haven. One shouts: “Maker, it’s the end of the world!” his cry followed by a whimper when he realised that the two women were not to follow him and his group. Tinae had no trouble keeping up with the pace that the Seeker had set until the pain in her left hand flared once more – the shock of it caused her to fall to the ground. Again. “The pulses are coming faster now.” Cassandra spoke, not unkindly, as Tinae caressed the aching palm, feeling the new ridges around the light that emanated from her skin that was only a touch darker than Cassandra’s. “The larger the Breach grows, the more rifts appear, the more demons we face.”

Tinae turned baffled eyes to Cassandra, her brow furrowed. “ _How_ did I survive the blast?”

Cassandra helped her get up and dust herself off once more. “They said you… stepped out of a rift, then fell unconscious. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was.” Tinae could remember nothing of a woman, but waited for Cassandra to finish speaking. “Everything farther in the valley was laid waste, including the Temple of Sacred Ashes. I suppose you’ll see soon enough.”

 

**********~*~**********

Tinae had never seen such destruction, dead bodies everywhere, each with a story, a home, a family, loved ones. The thought made her heart ache.

She and Cassandra had just begun to walk across another bridge when it had been hit with a meteor from that accursed Breach, slamming into the stone and shattering the bridge beneath their feet. She saw two soldiers get slammed back in the force of the blast but knew not what became of them. One of the soldiers lay beside her, a small trickle of blood oozing from his right ear and when she felt for a pulse there was none. Horrified, she staggered to her feet, looking around for Cassandra. She went to take a step towards the other woman, when yet another meteor came crashing from the tear in the sky, and hit the river a short distance from Cassandra, where a small green light formed, and from it sprang a Shade. “Stay behind me!” Cassandra called back to her, before thrusting at the demon with a frightening war cry.

Tinae felt a sense of wrongness unfurl in her belly at the sight of the Seeker fighting alone when she herself knew how to fight and could help. A surge of energy jolted Tinae into hyper awareness as another Shade formed not five feet from where she was standing on the frozen river. She swung her head side to side and by the limp side of the fallen soldier lay his bow and a quiver which looked to have come unfastened in the fall. Without a second more of hesitation, she lunged for the weapons and strapped the quiver to her back hastily and began to fire round after round of arrows at the creature before her, its arms wreathed in wisps of shadows extended towards her as she took slow measured steps to avoid it. Before long the Shade was incapacitated, Tinae took the opportunity to fire a quick round of arrows into the Shade fighting Cassandra before returning her attention to the demon before her. With the demon incapacitated, it did not take long to kill.

“It’s over.”

Breathing raggedly, Tinae did not even get a chance to properly recover before Cassandra had a sword pointed to her throat, arm steady and eyes narrowed as she snarled: “Drop your weapon. _Now_.”

Knowing that the female warrior was more than capable of incapacitating her instantly and not wanting to piss her off more than necessary; Tinae slowly, carefully went to rest her bow gently on the ice. “All right. Have it your way.”

“Wait.” Tinae halted, eyebrow raised expectantly at Cassandra, as she too, sheathed her weapon. “I cannot protect you, and I cannot expect you to be defenceless, and should remember that you agreed to come willingly.”

Smiling internally at the prickly nature of Cassandra, Tinae once again reached for her newfound bow and held it firmly in her left hand: idly stroking patterns into the unfamiliar weapon. Cassandra was clearly a woman with good intentions, but one who acted rashly and was more prone to ‘stab first, think in a minute or two’. She exhaled with a huff as Cassandra thrust a few glass flasks at her “Take these potions.” Tinae glanced downwards: the watery red tincture was for health whilst the pulpy, juice like orange liquid in the flask next to it was an unfamiliar type of stamina potion. “ _Maker knows what we will face_.” Cassandra muttered under her breath as she continued to lead on.

 

The two women had not been walking for long when Tinae voiced her thoughts once more “Where are all your soldiers?” The elven woman could hear men and women fighting in the distance, but none were here to support or flank Seeker Pentaghast: she found it odd and unnerving. Cassandra did not glance over her shoulder as she shouted her response against the raging wind “At the forward camp or fighting. We are on our own, for now.” _We are on our own…._ Tinae shivered at the prospect of fighting even more demons without support and fought back her rising fear. _I cannot afford cowardice now!_ She knew people were relying on her, their pariah, to do… _something_ with the rifts, and she did not want to let them down if she could, in fact, help.

“We’re getting close to the rift. You can hear the fighting.” Cassandra called back again, raising the steady pace of their jog to more of a sprint. And it was true: what had previously been the distant clanging of metal had now become a cacophony of metallic screeching and exhausted, violent grunts as whoever was ahead fought against the onslaught of demons.

Not liking being caught unawares, Tinae called out exasperatedly “Who’s fighting?” to the tightlipped Cassandra.

“You’ll see soon.” Cassandra withdrew her sword and pulled forward her shield. “We must help them.” She punctuated this statement with a cry as she threw herself into battle, sparing Tinae no second glance. _An elf, and a dwarf?_ A flare of light erupted from one outstretched hand from the shaven headed elf and Tinae’s shock dimly registered. _An elven **apostate** and a dwarf?_ _This is going to be interesting._ She barely had time to duck a blast of sizzling black energy as it whizzed past her whilst she had been staring. Following the lead of Cassandra, Tinae shrugged off her idle thoughts and threw herself into battle, her tired arms shaking slightly from the exertion as she fired arrow after arrow at the quintuplet of demons before her and the others. Between shots, Tinae took the opportunity to eye up the elven apostate: his shaven head and determined set to his face which was not marked with any vallaslin roused her curiosity more so than the extreme amount of chest hair visible from the cackling dwarf as he too fired arrows from his crossbow, occasionally shouting “Yes, Bianca!” when he hit an enemy.

Between the four of them and maybe a couple of soldiers, it did not take too long for the demons to die, and Tinae did not have a chance to properly lower her weapon before her left wrist was grabbed by the elven apostate as he yelled: “Quickly, before more come through!” raising Tinae’s mark up towards the rift excitedly. With a cry of alarm at the tugging sensation through the mark on her hand and at the audible buzzing of energy in the air around them, Tinae only pulled her arm free when the rift above them sealed shut – leaving no trace of it ever having existed. She looked up to the sky and down to her wrist before turning to meet the eyes of her elven companion. “ _What did you do_?” she breathed.

Blue grey eyes, freckles, tall, sharply pointed ears, dimpled chin. “ _I_  did nothing. The credit is yours.” And a voice soft and rhythmic with the lightest of Dalish accents. The man before her was elven alright, but he was not of _her_ elvhen: he was something other entirely and it made her nervous and excited her curiosity all at the same time.

Varric Tethras introduced himself with a flair of charisma that she wished she could bottle and drink whenever – the dwarf was friendly and funny and poked endless fun at the acerbic Seeker until she simply made a disgusted noise and stopped speaking.

“My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions.” The elf took a small step forwards and offered a very small inclination of his head, a polite smile on his angular face as his eyes studied the Dalish woman from head to toe with a sharp and analytical clarity. “I’m pleased to see you still live.”

She had felt the drop in her gut when the man beside her practically threw her blazing palm against the rift. Light freckled skin, pale eyes that reminded Tinae of a cloud carrying a storm, a proud tilt to his cleft chin, and a curious tilt to the corners of his lips like he was barely containing a secret. Whoever he was, the elven apostate before her held a power that had the ability to rock her to her core, and it made her unspeakably nervous. Some deep and unfamiliar element of her being recognising the man before her in a darkly approving way. Absently she also wondered why he did not bear markings of the vallaslin: surely an elf this powerful and free should bear the mark of her people? Otherwise, how had he survived not being caught and imprisoned in Towers by Templars?

_Solas. He was Pride._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you guys think of anything else I can do that would improve my writing - its been years since I've written properly and am still getting back into the swing of things.   
> Introduction of Varric and Solas! Woohoo! Next chapter is them reaching the temple of Sacred Ashes and will include more character interaction once they are back at haven - my adaptation of just harassing the characters with questions until you run out of dialogue prompts basically...


End file.
